Species Unknown [Book 2: Pisces)

14. CAUGHT

ONCE DR. GRANT had left, I made my way through the dispersing crowd of lab coats over to Noah.

"What the hell just happened?" I asked as I walked in front of him. I had never seen him look so dejected. His once vibrant green eyes had dulled and his lips were downturned.

Noah, didn't look at me in the eyes. "They took Flip." He said softly, keeping his gaze on the elevator.

I frowned, steeping closer to Noah, "Why?"

Noah sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Flip is...was the head of the Pisces department, he was chosen to oversee Dr. Grant's experiment, so he is held accountable for its disappearance."

"So Dr. Grant fired him? Why did they have to drag him out like that then?" I asked, crossing my arms across my chest. It seemed a bit theatrical to me.

Suddenly the memory of my first day as an intern, the confidentiality agreement I signed, and the words EMPLOYEE TERMINATION, flashed through my mind.

Noah didn't answer my question, "Lani, they are going to be watching this place. Remember what I said the other night, don't let anyone know you know anything about the experiment, okay? Trust me, you don't want to be involved." Noah pleaded, his green eyes boring into mine. I could see that there was something else in those emerald depths, something he wasn't telling me.

"I won't." I said, mostly to soothe Noah. It seemed to work and he nodded, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Be careful, Lani." He said finally, before moving away and disappearing down the hallway. I watched him go as I thought about following him. Part of me wanted to leave early again, but Noah's cryptic words gave me pause.

They will be watching...

They? Dr. Grant and his burly men maybe...

Either way, I had to act normal. And that meant staying for my whole shift as usual, no matter how badly I wanted to rush to the water and make sure the creature was long gone, far away from this place and Dr. Grant as possible.

But first, I had to work. With a sigh, I made my way towards the back of the compound to continue working on the tanks assigned to me since day one.

It was going to be a long shift.

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Hours passed and finally my shift was over. It felt like the longest eight hours of my life, but now I was done and I could head to the water.

As I made my way out of the compound, I looked around for any sign of Dr. Grant and his men, and saw nothing. No suspicious cars or burly men anywhere.

It seemed he really had left.

Either way, the sun was just beginning to set and I still had a while before dark. So, I decided to take a walk along the beach before jumping straight into the water again. If anyone was watching, like Noah suggested, then they might just think I am taking a nice stroll along the beach after a long shift.

As I walked along the sand, I did my best to keep my eyes away from the water. Instead, I focused on the sand beneath my bare feet, swinging my shoes and humming a song. As I walked, I passed an abandoned surf board lying in the sand. It was a deep purple, and small enough to be easy enough to carry. Moving over to it, I picked it up and stood it up in the sand, making a mental note to come back to it after dark. Perhaps there would be no need for me to go swimming again tonight.

After a few hours, my legs grew tired and the sun had fallen. It was a little while past dark, and there were no lights around. Given my dark hair and clothes, I was barely distinguishable from the darkness.